But my willingness to keep my mouth shut isn’t purely for altruistic reasons. No. I’m happy for Jackson toincorrectlymake fun of my manhood because I’ve won a much better prize.
He’s confirmed that he likes me, at least a little. Which means I haven’t been imagining that there is something between us.
It’s real. And he feels it as well.
And if you ask me, that’s a way bigger win than Jackson telling Clancy I have a small dick.
“I thought that was your car out front,” I say, striding into Wagner’s living room with a big smile on my face.
First, Jackson admitted he likes me, and now, my best friend has turned up unexpectedly. It’s a great day to be me.
Ollie looks up at me from the couch. There’s a coffee table buried somewhere beneath a mountain of paperwork. “I’d get up, but…” He angles his body so that I can see his leg. It’s wrapped in a bright blue fiberglass cast from thigh to ankle.
My face drops. “What happened?”
“I was attempting a tricky vault over a railing, slipped, and lost my balance. My leg bent the wrong way, and when I hit the ground, it snapped in two.”
“Oh, man.” I wince just thinking about it. “Fucking parkour.”
“Don’t you start. I’ve copped an earful from Wagner already.”
“And you’ll continue copping it,” my brother says, entering the room, carrying a tray of snacks. Healthy snacks, of course. Cooking is his love language. He lowers the beautifully arranged charcuterie board onto a bunch of papers and starts preparing a plate, which he hands to Ollie.
“What’s happening here?” I ask. “And where’s Sammy?”
“Sammy’s taking a nap,” Wagner answers, popping a few grapes into his mouth. “And Ollie is helping me review offers.”
I take a seat on the couch, helping myself to some prosciutto. “Offers? As in plural?” Wagner nods. “That’s great, man.”
“It is, and it isn’t,” Ollie says, his attention turning to the document in his hand. “Each offer comes with its own stipulations.”
“What sort of stipulations?” I ask.
“That’s what Ollie’s here to help me figure out. I’m prepared to do a lot to secure financing, but I have my limits. I’m not giving up control or ownership of the vineyard.”
“Damn right you shouldn’t.” I prop my feet up onto the coffee table, ignoring Wagner’s glare, and continue. “This isourfamily’s winery. One of the few things no one can take away from us. You need to protect it, Wag.”
“I fully intend to,” he retorts, his jaw pulsing either from me using the nickname he hates so much or, more likely,remembering the reason why we need to protect what we have left in the first place.
Mom got swindled by her two older brothers and lost her share of her family’s business. It didn’t matter that she was the company CEO. That she transformed the entire organization, modernized it, and increased profits so dramatically it grew from the fifth-largest shipping company in the world to second. That she sacrificed everything, including her family and ultimately her health, for that job. Our evil uncles made sure that when she died, her husband and kids got nothing. I fucking hate those two pricks.
There’s no way in hell Wagner is going to stand by and let anyone do the same to our father’s business. This winery has belonged to the Bensons for six generations, and even though Dad has never shown any interest in it, Wagner is determined to ensure it stays in the family for the next six. He just needs to secure some financial backing to help turn it around.
“That’s why I’ve got the best lawyer working on it,” he says, clapping Ollie on his shoulder. “Even if he is an adrenaline-chasing doofus.”
Ollie grins good-naturedly.
“How long you going to be out of action for?” I ask.
The grin slides off his face. “I’m stuck with this thing”—he points at his cast—“for eight to twelve weeks. Might need surgery after that, depending on how it heals. Then I’m looking at months of rehab.”
“And no more parkour ever?” I ask a little too brightly.
“We’ll see,” he grumbles.
“Does this mean you’re staying for the Fourth?”
“Can’t, I’m afraid. Derek’s station is holding a BBQ cook-off fundraiser during the day, which I’ve gotten roped into, and some friends invited us to watch the fireworks from their balcony afterward.”
